Booking Strategies

[wildfire]

I thought this would be a fun topic... it always amazes me how different people's feds are with the same pool of talent.

Today's topic: How far in advance to you book?

For me, while I usually have a few long term storylines/feuds going, I generally book one show at a time. I've personally found that doing a few shows in advance makes it so anything unplanned that springs up due to strange dice, a really good match, etc has to wait... and, in the waiting, I either forget my brilliant idea or lost interest in it... I feel like you have to strike while the iron is hot, ya know?

[lwffantrav]

Jul 28, 2008 14:50:36 GMT -5 wildfire said:

I thought this would be a fun topic... it always amazes me how different people's feds are with the same pool of talent.

Today's topic: How far in advance to you book?

For me, while I usually have a few long term storylines/feuds going, I generally book one show at a time. I've personally found that doing a few shows in advance makes it so anything unplanned that springs up due to strange dice, a really good match, etc has to wait... and, in the waiting, I either forget my brilliant idea or lost interest in it... I feel like you have to strike while the iron is hot, ya know?

I've tried to do advance "booking", but find it nearly impossible since the GWF/LWF is actually a "shoot". Always seems a title upset happens or an injury will happen, always blowing up my angles.

I usually will try for a 3 show arc....

[Trent Lawless]

Generally it's show-to-show, but in the month or so before a PPV (I do four per fed -- GWF and POW, that is -- per year), I'll try to work around the title matchups I hope to have. Doesn't always work out, but when it does, it usually goes pretty well.

[Mr. Hyde]

I love threads like this!

I go basically show by show for the actual matches and events, but I almost always have a solid ending to a feud in mind.

So much so, that I try to commit myself to deciding how and when the feud will end and progress before I even begin writing the build up to the feud. I then work backwards, deciding how much time I should give to each aspect of the feud and how much time I have to get the complete story told.

Sometimes I will let a feud just run it's own course, though. Such as in my aCe, with Hustler and Gheist. while I have a plan as to how to end the feud, I don't have a real timetable for it, so it can go as long or as short at it wants to.

I also don't try to work a champions feuds into his title defenses. The way I see it, if a wrestler is champion, the only people he should be feuding with are those attempting to take his title.

I could go on and on. As previously stated, I love threads like these!

[Eliath]

I book show to show. When I complete a card & I decide the action that is going to take place on that card I try to book around the drama that I'm building.

Like Hyde, I plan my feuds, how long they will run, how intense they will be beginning-middle-end, who (I hope) will have the advantage during those times, etc.

I try to only run one or two big feuds at once & leave the rest to background happenings. That said, I do filter in upcoming feuds throughout my shows.

I like to let feuds run their course, so if I projected an end to a feud & it is going wild, I will let it continue until it starts to fizzle & then I will wrap it up.

As for Champions, I use their Titles to start feuds between other wrestlers. Usually it will be 2 wrestlers that both want the Title. They will have a mini-feud to see who gets the shot. If I find some magic in that little feud, I will explore it a little.

That is all I can think of off the top of my head.

[Gunslinger]

I book with an idea of where I want things to go but I keep things pretty loose since sometimes the wrestlers know better than I do. For example, when I started my combo LoW/LotF fed, Ring of Victory, I wrote the following about how I wanted the group feuds to go before I ever rolled a die.

Gotch, Ox Baker, & J.D. Michaels vs. Kings of Wrestling
Corino, Landell, & Credible vs. Drake Younger & Naptown Dragons

Unfortunately, none of this came to pass because of the way the title tournaments went and ideas I had on the fly.

[Mr. Beefy]

Show by show

With Title Shot feuds I usually try to do matches that the singles title wouldn't be available (tag, handicap) that way title doesn't change before the PPV. For Holovision, I do it every show except PPV's and I give that sort of rankings and who I think should get a shot.

[Big Bri]

I book show to show and make plot notes during the cards. Then, about every 5 shows or so I'll go back and write my recaps and usually add more substance to certain storylines.

[PermanentlyHip]

oooooh oooh! Love these topics:

I book in advance, usually writing out my "ideal" for that month's PPV before I write my first show, and then rolling the dice and making allowances for any changes.

I have verrrry long term plans for storylines, and then if the dice create changes, I go back to them, but very rarely do I ever drop a storlyine entirely.

Because my 2119 fed is essentially crash tv, I have a crib sheet with all the details or plot points written down as I go along, so I don't forget any pertinent details or create any conflicting details. There's just too much happening for me to remember.

If I have a really hot storyline that that I want to run, I will sometimes "protect" a wrestle by keeping them "off tv" for a few episodes or feeding them weaker competition until my big match plays out.

[wildfire]

Wow, sounds like most people do alot 'on the fly'.. I always feel like I've failed somehow when I have to do that... this makes me feel better

Back in the old days, I used to book a month at a time (4 or 5 cards) and I'd make notes on what matches I wanted to have the next month as the current month went on.. I'd have some number of matches (sometimes on a couple, sometimes 10 or 12) that would then be the main events the next month... it worked pretty well when I was 12, but then I wasn't really all that complicated with things then, and it didn't both me to have Mutant vs. Beast Rider in a main event

I agree that the titles are the hardest to keep booked well, since they can change on you.. I don't know how many times a 'throw away' challenger has taken the title and spoiled a big build... I agree with Hyde that feuds involving the champ should be about the belt.. otherwise, there can be issues.